Third Arrest Warrant Issues for Suthep Thaugsuban

Suthep Thaugsuban ranting on stage in Bangkok

BANGKOK – Thailand’s Criminal Court approved Wednesday an arrest warrant against Suthep Thaugsuban, former deputy prime minister and now leader of the anti-government street rally, on charges of murder and attempted murder in a protest crackdown in 2010, local press reported.

This is the third arrest warrant the court has approved against Suthep, with the first for alleged sedition and the second for violating the emergency decree by leading protests, Bangkok Post newspaper reported.

At the request of the Department of Special Investigation, the latest warrant was issued for Suthep’s role in ordering a military crackdown on demonstrations by the United Front for Democracy against dictatorship, also known as “Red Shirts,” which left 92 people killed and more than 2,000 others injured.

Former Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva is another defendant in the case, who has already been indicted on the same charges. But Suthep has repeatedly requested the Criminal Court to postpone his indictment.